Digital Twin platform for sustainable cities

Published at 9 December 2025

Digital twins for better urban decision-making

The path to sustainable cities is paved with obstacles and uncertainties. How do you choose the best scenario? What is the impact of spatial interventions? How can you encourage more effective citizen participation? GIM’s digital twin platform, Zadu clearly visualizes policy options and supports better-informed decisions.

Making the right choices on sustainable issues like climate, spatial planning, water, heat stress, depaving, or mobility depends on a complex interplay of various factors. The Zadu digital twin platform brings together reliable geodata and scientifically validated simulation models in a clear visualization platform.

Better understanding the real world through a digital twin

A digital twin is a digital representation of the physical world. By combining different data sources, you can build a virtual copy to better understand reality. This allows you to run simulations and test the impact of spatial interventions on factors such as mobility, parking pressure, or air quality.

Simulate, analyze, decide

Zadu processes spatial data from Zadu and other sources. This input forms the basis for advanced simulations and analyses for urban planning, climate adaptation, and environmental analysis. The platform is designed to be open and interoperable, allowing users to import additional data.

With advanced visualization capabilities, the impact of policy measures can be displayed in 3D.

Powered by Zadu

Thanks to the integration of more than 50 data sources, Zadu contains the most up-to-date and comprehensive information on buildings, addresses, and cadastral parcels.
Zadu not only provides the 3D base map for Zadu, but also delivers all the details about every building, garden, socio-economic parameters, and a land cover map powered by artificial intelligence.

Clear visualization for better participation

Citizen participation and collective decision-making are often challenging processes. With 3D visualization in Zadu, you bring modeling to life in real time and can simulate the possible effects of interventions on the ground.

That’s why Zadu is an indispensable tool for urban policymakers and city planners to facilitate public consultations and collective decision-making processes.